Platonic
by LTP-girl
Summary: What if Mike Cutter and Serena Southerlyn were friends? What if Mike wanted to be more than friends? Set before Serena 'comes out' in the workplace.


**The pairing in this fic is a stretch, but I thought it would make for an interesting read. Just getting over swine flu, which hasn't been much fun): I'll be getting back to my other story soon. Anyways, hope you like this one in the meantime, and have a great New Year's *^_^***

Disclaimer: I do not own _Law & Order_ and its characters; they are the property of Dick Wolf and NBC.

Michael Cutter/Serena Southerlyn friendship; set around the beginning of season 14

Platonic

By LTP-girl

The spring sun reclaimed the slender blonde woman holding two wrapped sandwiches in her hands, as she left the small bodega, and proceeded towards the busy park across the street, the temperate air wrapping itself around her body in a warm embrace.

The park across from 60 Centre Street was filled with a crowd of people who were seemingly glad about the change in weather, and had decided to enjoy their lunch outside. She gathered they were lawyers mainly, dressed in high powered business suits, laden with steaming cups of coffee and heavy briefcases, chatting incessantly amongst each other, enjoying every free moment they had away from the courtroom. She began to grow worried, not being able to recognise amongst the crowd the friend she had agreed to meet at the park that afternoon, one black suit being very much like another.

She didn't understand why he so urgently wanted to meet her in the park that day. They usually shared lunch, along with a menial chat, at the District Attorney's Office where they both worked, either in his office, or her office, depending on where the mood took them. Nevertheless, she was thankful he had, after seeing what a beautiful day it had turned out to be, the sunshine accompanied by blossoming flowers and damp pavement that followed a spring shower, making for a pleasant change in scenery.

Mike smiled contently to himself as he watched the petite woman from a distance, admiring her blonde locks glistening in the light.

It had been about eight months since the beginning of their friendship. Coffee dates advancing to drinks after work, and baseball games advancing to weekend snow trips to Vermont. Mike had found the time he had spent with Serena to be not only enjoyable, but uplifting as well. No matter how sour a mood he was in, her presence always seemed to leave him with a smile on his face. She was compassionate, intelligent, beautiful, easy to get along with, and her heart was always in the right place, these qualities evoking certain feelings in Mike. Feelings that weren't commonly experienced in just a friendship.

"Hey, Serena," she heard a voice call out.

She whirled around with a warm smile, recognising the voice. "Hey Mike," she replied making her way towards him. She handed him one of the wrapped sandwiches she was holding, once the two ADAs met up. "Ham and cheese okay?"

They exchanged a kiss on the cheek in greeting, and she couldn't help but notice a slight blush appear in his face when they parted. She seemed to be having that affect on a lot of men that day, more so than on women, unfortunately.

"Yeah, ham and cheese is fine," he replied smiling, handing her one of the cups of coffee he was holding. "Long black for you, no sugar, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," she answered with an amused smile, noticing that not only had Mike's cheeks reddened even more so, but his eyes had diverted onto the ground, as they dawdled along the pavement.

She found the look Mike had just given her to be funny. Nervy. Bashful.

The man who just served her at the bodega had given her the exact same look, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with her appearance. Was her makeup smudged? Did she have ink on her face? Did a bird shit on her shoulder? Had she stepped in something? She couldn't smell anything, but stopped to check the souls of her black pumps in case. It was then that Mike's voice had broken her thoughts.

He cleared his throat in composure, and tried to suppress the amused smile spreading across his face. "Um... Serena, I think you should know, ah..." He looked her straight in the eye, and refrained from looking any lower, thinking it the gentlemanly thing to do given the situation.

"Know what, Mike?" she asked, sounding confused. He seemed to be having trouble forming his words.

He sidled a little closer, and spoke in a low tone. "The buttons of your shirt are undone," he told her, trying to sound discreet.

Her eyes widened in shock, her expression almost mortified. "What!" She looked down to see that her buttons were undone to her mid torso, her black bra peeping through the gap in her blouse.

No wonder the boys at the office had been giving her funny looks all morning. She felt discouraged that neither Jack nor Branch had said anything to her earlier, letting her walk along Centre Street like a cheap exhibitionist. They were probably chuckling and sniggering over the whole thing in Branch's office at that very moment. She was quite aware that she wasn't popular with either of them.

Serena quickly scrambled to fasten her buttons, almost spilling her coffee all over herself in the process, and nearly dropping her sandwich onto the ground.

She was thankful she hadn't been caught wearing the pink frilly bra, with the purple bows at the base of the straps, that her brother had given her one year for Christmas as a joke. She had to admit, despite its hideous appearance, she did wear it on the odd occasion, finding it surprisingly comfortable as well as supportive.

"Thanks," she said begrudgingly, checking her shirt for the last time, ensuring that she was decent. She was eager to change the subject. "We should find a seat to sit on before they're all taken."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Mike agreed with a relieved sigh, also wanting to move the conversation away from the embarrassing incident.

She found a vacant park bench beneath a tree, and quickly claimed it, Mike following her lead.

They both set their cups of coffee on the bench in the space between them, and unwrapped their sandwiches from their packaging.

Serena eyed an attractive brunette standing beside a berley motorcycle parked outside the bodega. She watched as she covered her exposed tattooed arms with a leather jacket, and placed a helmet on her head, before swinging one leg over the machine.

She turned her attention back to Mike, glancing up at him with a humoured smile. "So, Mr Cutter, any particular reason why you wanted to eat here?" she enquired teasingly, before taking a bite of her sandwich. "I can't stay out for long. I need to get back to the office to help Jack with our witness list." She glanced back over at the brunette as she revved her motorcycle engine. _Although I'd rather be spending the afternoon on the back of that thing with her, _she pondered dreamily to herself, admiring how she drove it with such command.

"No, no reason really," he replied casually, breaking her thoughts. "Just get some fresh air, enjoy the sun, have a talk." His glance turned slightly wistful, his eyes steadily watching the soft curve of her lips as she continued to eat her food.

She paused to reach her hand into her skirt pocket. "We could have done that back at the office, open the window and have a chat, minus the pollen," she replied, her tone complaining, sneezing into a tissue.

_Yeah, but your hair doesn't shine so vibrantly at the office. _"Spring has just started showing itself for the first time this year," he said. "We may as well enjoy it while we can."

Serena nodded, sipping her coffee. "I guess that's true," she replied. _Won't be long before Mike starts dragging me along to goddamn Yankees games again, _she cursed, shuddering at the thought, reflecting back on a game they had attended the previous season, where some drunken bastard sitting behind them spilled his bucket of bear all over her. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy baseball. It was just that a lot of the fans at the stadium tended to get rowdy. A little _too_ rowdy. Including Mike. She seldom found amusement in watching Mike throw popcorn at spectators in a drunken stupor, tolerantly gritting her teeth. And that was only the _first_ quarter.

"_Get you another drink, sweet-hawrt?" Mike slurred, sliding his hands through her blonde hair. _

"_Ah, no thanks Mike," she replied, rearing away from his sour breath, as well as his wondering hands. "I've had enough to drink. And I think you've had too much to drink."_

"_You got real pretty hair..."_

And if it hadn't been for Mike's idiocy on that particular day, she wouldn't have had to drop him off at the ER to get he's stomach pumped, and turn up to her brother's birthday party reeking of booze. Oh well, the sacrifices of friendship.

Mike watched Serena as her eyes followed the motorcyclist roar up the street. He enjoyed his beautiful friend's company, and valued the good times they shared. He reflected back on the time she had entered a drug store to save a woman from an armed knifeman. _Not just beautiful_, he thought to himself with a smirk, a hint of mischief behind his expression. He shifted himself further up the park bench to get closer to her.

Serena felt Mike's eyes on her, and turned to face him. "Why are you smiling at me like that for?" she asked, puzzled by Mike's odd expression.

He quickly looked down, avoiding her eyes, which seemed slightly scrutinising. "Nice coffee," he responded with a shrug.

"I know it's nice coffee. But you don't smile like that over a nice coffee," she reasoned.

"_I_ do."

"Oh, I suppose you shriek with laughter over a good glass of scotch, do you?" she taunted facetiously. A sly smile appeared across her face.

They continued their lunch quietly.

Mike shifted in his seat before crossing his legs. "Y-you know Serena, I've been meaning to talk to you about something," he said nervously, breaking the brief silence.

"Oh. What about?" she replied, and Mike couldn't help but notice the hint of concern in her eyes.

Those eyes. They harboured determination, courage, mystique, and compassion all in one. Just looking into those glistening peepers could lead a man into a lot of trouble, Mike found himself thinking. What he found most alluring about Serena was the certain mystery hindering behind those eyes.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious," he assured her quickly.

"Well good," she replied with a relieved smile, finishing her sandwich.

There was a quick pause.

She looked down at her coffee cup. "You know Mike, there's something I've been meaning to tell you as well..." she confessed, her voice drifting. Her gaze had turned wistful, as she fell into deep thought.

She hadn't let anyone at the office know about her personal life, not even Mike. Even after eight months of friendship, she still didn't feel completely comfortable telling him about herself. She knew he was not just some co-worker, he was her friend, but she still harboured a nagging doubt that his reaction towards her being a lesbian would be a negative one.

"Oh, and what's that?" he asked, sipping his coffee, a little concerned by her serious tone.

She glanced back up at him. "Nothing, really," she said, forcing a smile. "What is it _you_ wanted to tell me?"

Mike took a moment to collect his thoughts. "Well, we're friends... We're really good friends."

"Yeah, we are?" she said, sounding contented.

"We can talk about anything."

"Of course." She started to wonder where he was going with this.

A bee hovered near Serena, and she quickly swatted it away from her.

"Our friendship has progressed over the months, and I think that it's time we... we...

Her eyes searched his face for an answer.

"I think it's time we... take it to the next step," he managed to say.

Serena sounded confused. "Mike, what are you saying exactly?"

Mike swallowed, sensing that he had struck a nerve with her. "W-What I'm saying is that..." _Oh shit._

The bee persisted to buzz around them, aggravated by Serena's attempts to shoo it away, and landed on her finger.

She stood abruptly from the chair in a mad panic, spilling the remainder of her coffee onto the ground, feeling a sharp sting serge through her index finger. "Augh! Shit, shit, shit!" She cried out in pain, her tone hysterical. "_Oh God!_ _That fucking bee stung me!"_

Mike's eyes widened in surprise, and he stood to her assistance. He had never seen Serena lash out so brashly before. "A bee stung you?" He moved in closer, and she lifted her finger for him to have a look. He recognised a raised bump on her finger.

"That's what I just said," she replied, sounding annoyed.

"We had better get to a pharmacy," he told her in his authoritative lawyer tone. He  
pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket, and wrapped it around her finger. "We should get some tweezers and remove the sting as quickly as possible."

"See, this is why we shouldn't have had lunch outside," she said tersely, as they both grabbed their things and headed back towards the shopping strip.

She looked up at Mike as they walked along side by side, and sensed by his lack of a response that he was hurt by her comment. Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry Mike, I know it's not your fault. Where's this pharmacy?"

"Not that far, just around the corner," he replied. "You're not allergic to bees are you?"

"No. It just really hurts."

They made their way into the pharmacy, and Mike scoured the personal hygiene and first-aid aisle for tweezers, Serena following closely behind.

"Found some," he said, grabbing the first packet he saw, before dashing to the checkout.

He payed for the tweezers, then quickly removed them from their packaging. He took Serena's hand in his and removed the handkerchief he had wrapped around her finger. Her finger had swollen to twice its size now, and the sting had turned and angry red colour.

He held her hand steadily, feeling the warm smoothness of her skin against his palm. He proceeded to remove the bee sting with precision, looking closely at where he had directed the tweezers, trying to his best to be gentle.

"Ow, be careful," she scolded him.

"It's not easy with you fidgeting," he scolded back, there quarrelling very much like that of an old married couple.

He continued to prod at the swollen lump on her finger. "Ah, got it," he finally said, once he had removed the sting.

Serena looked down at her finger, pleased with Mike's success. "Thank you," she said gratefully, her expression softening. Her eyes harboured slight sorrow. "Sorry I snapped at you."

He glanced down at her, the intensity in her hazel eyes touching him a little too deeply. He so wanted kiss her. "T-that's okay," he replied, his gaze steady on hers. He pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand.

A bewildered expression had now appeared across her face. She was not quite sure how to take Mike's tender gesture.

His face was only inches away from hers. He moved a little closer, tilting his head, letting his lips lightly grazed against hers, lost in the

_Oh no, what is he doing?_ she wondered, a flush of panic washing over her. _No, he can't be. No this is so wrong. _She now knew what he had meant by _taking the next step in their relationship!_

She felt his warm breath on her face, and quickly jerked away. "Um Mike, what are you doing?" Her voice bordered on resounding.

Nobody could mistaken her for anything other than a lawyer when she spoke like that.

He straightened in response to her evasive tone and pensive glance, realising what he had done. It was clear to him that she didn't want the same thing he did. He looked away from her. "I'm sorry, Serena," he apologised sincerely. "I shouldn't have done that. I-I don't know what I was thinking."

"_I_ do," she shot back, a little surprised herself by her outrage.

She looked away from him. "I guess most women would think it sweet...But I'm not most women," she tried to explain.

"Of course you're not..." he agreed wholeheartedly. "You're intelligent, and brave, and beautiful..."

The words escaped her mouth before she had time to think. "I'm a lesbian," she said before he had finished his sentence, cutting him off.

She was so used to continually berating the three letter phrase to countless eager men who chatted her up at the bar after work, but she never thought she would ever have to say it to Mike. They were friends, nothing more, weren't they?

He almost looked shell-shocked, his mouth agape, his eyes widened in alarm. "What?" His voice was gentle, and he almost sounded as though he had seen a ghost.

She also detected a level of hurt in his eyes.

She looked down at the floor, her eyes wandering, before glancing back up at her surprised friend. "I'm a lesbian," she repeated softly. She hoped she hadn't put him off, but felt that a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

Her eyes were so confirming, as they searched his face for a response.

"Oh... okay," he replied shakily, not really sure what to say. He could feel his heart sink so low it was almost as though it had been dropped from an airplane. His stunned expression transformed into a kindly smile, as he tried to hide his feeling of disenchantment. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder in a consolatory manner. "Are you okay?" What he should have asked was - are _we_ okay?

She nodded, staring down at the floor. "I'm okay."

They set about walking back to the park in silence.

"I must admit... I am surprised," he said.

"Well, nobody in the office knows," she replied solemnly. "I haven't told anyone- yet."

Mike slid one hand in his pants pocket. "I'm sorry about before where, well, you know," he said, sounding embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it, Mike," she replied with an encouraging smile. "Trust me, if I was straight, I would have put the moves on you ages ago."

He smiled wryly. "Is that your way of saying I'm gorgeous?"

The end.

**What do you think? Feel free to comment:-D**


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